IMF members call for more support amid war shocks, 'advanced intelligence' risks

BANGKOK, Oct 17: International Monetary Fund member countries called for increasing support to countries that are facing short-term financing challenges caused by negative spillovers from wars and high energy prices, and said economic risks remain tilted to the downside.

And while there has been a boost to investment and trade from "advanced intelligence technologies", they also carried risks, the chair of the International Monetary and Financial Committee said in a statement after a meeting in Bangkok.

"Escalating conflicts and trade tensions could further disrupt critical trade routes, exacerbate commodity price pressures, including in refined energy products, and worsen energy and food security," said the statement issued by Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan, the chair of the IMFC.

The IMFC is the main steering committee for the 191-member crisis lender.

Al-Jadaan told Reuters that the language of the statement was agreed by all members.

Earlier this week, the United States was pressing fellow IMF members to rename artificial intelligence as "super intelligence" in the statement, in line with US President Donald Trump's preferred name for the technology, a senior US Treasury told.�" REUTERS